Unexplored Territory
by JadedNoelle
Summary: What if Rory and Dean never got back together? Rory and Jess have been good friends since Jess moved to Stars Hollow. When Rory expresses her "more than friendly" feelings for Jess, how wil he react?


TITLE: Unexplored Territory  
  
RATING: PG-13  
  
SUMMARY: Rory and Jess have been good friends for a while. Rory finally tells Jess how she feels. How will Jess react?  
  
PAIRINGS: Rory/Jess  
  
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: AU. Rory and Dean only dated for three months. They never got back together a second time. Everything in Nick & Nora/ Sid & Nancy happened. Loralai is still not fond of Jess, though she has warmed up to him a little bit. Set in mid March, five months after Jess moved to Stars Hollow.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I have no ownership over any part of Gilmore Girls.  
  
Chapter One: Yearning for You  
  
(Gilmore house-Saturday-morning)  
  
"Rory, Paulo is in a great mood today!" Loralai Gilmore said giddily, as she passed her daughter's open bedroom door, and stared into her mug of steaming coffee. Not hearing a response she took a sip and continued, "We had an interesting conversation. Very fulfilling. In fact, I don't feel the need to speak the rest of the day."  
  
Emerging out her bedroom, Rory Gilmore chuckled at her mother as she gave her a kiss on the cheek. Walking over to the toaster and putting strawberry pop-tarts into it, Rory said, "Mom, as I have many times before, I remind you, that contrary to your own belief, inanimate objects can neither speak nor hold grudges."  
  
"Shhh." Loralai said, holding a finger to her mouth, and then pointing to the coffee maker on the counter. "Paulo can hear you. Remember last week when you said that you liked "you know who's" coffee more than his? He was angry at your for days after, wouldn't produce good coffee."  
  
Rory laughed from across the room and shook her head as her mother rambled on.  
  
". I personally have always been kind to Paulo; from the very first day we got him. He could tell you resented him for replacing Lucy. That really wasn't anything of his doing."  
  
Loralai continued on, unaware she was speaking to herself as Rory's thoughts were swaying to a certain someone. "NO!" Rory thought as she closed her eyes, tired of replaying impossible to decipher words and actions in her head.  
  
Rory opened her eyes to see a confused Loralai staring at her.  
  
"Did I just say that out loud?" Rory asked.  
  
Loralai nodded.  
  
"Sorry, my mind just drifted off for a second." Rory explained, walking across the kitchen to sit on a chair opposite of Loralai.  
  
"Eh, doesn't matter." Loralai said, with a wave of her hand. "So, what took you so long getting ready this morning?" She said, changing the subject.  
  
"I dunno, I just was being slow I guess." Rory said unconvincingly.  
  
"Getting all cute for a someone special?" Loralai said, grinning evilly at her daughter from across the table.  
  
Rory made a face back at her mother as she said, "Nooo..." Dragging out the word then taking a pause, she continued, "I've just been single for a while now, and I just want to look nice to. ya know." Rory's voice, which had turned serious, faded out as she finished lamely, looking down at her hands.  
  
Loralai looked at her daughter sadly understanding what she was secretly saying, and reached across the table to hold her hand before saying, "Rory, there is nothing wrong with you. Just because you're single doesn't mean that you are undesirable or-" Rory interrupted her.  
  
"I know." Rory sighed heavily. "It's just, we have such a great connection. It seems so obvious. I know he feels it. I just don't know why he is ignoring it. We get so close, so close to crossing that line. Then he backs away and gets all cold" She paused, raking her hand through her hair, which was tumbling down her shoulders." He makes me so angry." She finished with another sigh.  
  
Loralai remained silent, giving her daughters hand a squeeze before letting it go and standing up.  
  
"I wonder what has happened to my mother." Rory wondered to herself as she slowly stood up. "Just when I need words of advice, she is speechless. This should be written down in a textbook or something. Loralai Gilmore: Speechless." Rory joked.  
  
"Shut up." Loralai said pretending to be mad as she quickly picked up a pop tart from the toaster and dropped it onto a paper towel. "Hot!" She hissed. Waiting for a few seconds, she picked it up by the corner, blew on it, and then bit out a chunk of it. A satisfied "Mmm!" from Loralai could be heard by Rory a few seconds later, as she was repeating the process Loralai had.  
  
Both of the Gilmore Girls walked towards the entryway, and upon arrival, put on their coats, holding their pop tart in one hand then another as they put each arm in. Rory opened the door with her free hand, as Loralai grabbed her purse and walked through the open door, saying, "Thanks, Sweetie." as she passed. Rory left behind her, shutting the door on her way out.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
(Luke's Diner-Saturday-morning)  
  
The Gilmore Girls enter, just as Loralai is finishing a pop tart, shoving half of it into her mouth all at once, in attempt to hide it from Luke. Rory took of her coat and walked to an empty table. Loralai followed, though more slowly, trying to chew as quickly and discreetly as possible. Finally Loralai sat down next to Rory with a big swallow just seconds before Luke came over.  
  
Standing before the girls, Luke simply said, "Blueberry?"  
  
Rory shook her head no before saying, "Strawberry." Then shooting a glare at her mother, who pointed at her self innocently, Rory said, "But then again, I can't be sure, my pop tart was stolen from me before I got a good taste."  
  
Luke and Rory both looked at Loralai expectantly. Loralai was quick to object to Rory's implication that she had stolen Rory's pop tart. "Now, I didn't steal anything from anyone. I merely persuaded Rory to give me the rest of her pop tart.by, uh, taking it from her."  
  
Rory snorted in unbelief and said, "First of all, the rest? I had only taken two bites from it."  
  
Loralai looked from Luke to Rory, then she mad a face like a four year old and said, "Rory didn't even deserve her pop tart. She hurt Paulo's feelings this morning."  
  
Rory just laughed.  
  
Luke almost cracked a smile, but held back. Pulling the order pad out of his back pocket, Luke held it in front of him and grunted a "Whatcha want?"  
  
Loralai smirked and said, "A Mel Gibson tattoo on my-"  
  
"To eat." Luke said, shaking his head.  
  
"Coffee, toast, extra jelly, and two pancakes, extra butter." Loralai rattled off instantly, barley letting Luke finish, not even glancing at the menu.  
  
Rory paused to think for a moment and said, "How 'bout just coffee for now, I'll get more when I decide what I want."  
  
Luke nodded at them both as turned away. Luke told Caesar what Loralai had ordered and started to help a costumer. Hearing the door open, and a coat slowly being taken off, Luke glanced up to see his nephew, Jess Mariano, hanging up his coat. Seeing him look around the diner, his gaze pausing on Rory a moment, Luke couldn't help but have him give the girls their coffee.  
  
"Jess." Luke said, catching the boy's attention. Rory's head automatically snapped up, hearing Jess' name. When Luke got eye contact with Jess, he nodded towards their table and said, "Coffee."  
  
Jess wiped his hands on his faded jeans before picking up the coffee and walking over to Rory and Loralai. Rory pretended to not notice Jess coming over until he made his presence known, clearing his throat. The girls stopped mid conversation and looked up at Jess. Rory absentmindedly thought of how good he looked as she said, "Hey."  
  
Loralai said nothing, but managed a half smile and held out her mug. Jess filled it wordlessly, and nodded at Rory as he filled hers.  
  
Walking away, not having said anything, Jess went behind the counter and got out a book, seemingly reading.  
  
Loralai, wide eyed, kicked Rory under the table.  
  
"Oww!" Rory yelped. "Mom!" She hissed.  
  
"Go and talk to him." Loralai hissed back.  
  
Rory stood up, and walked casually up to the counter, acting as if she didn't know that most eyes were on her.  
  
"Hey." Rory said, nonchalantly.  
  
Jess glanced up and said, "Hey"  
  
Rory's eyes widened exaggeratedly as she said, "He speaks."  
  
Jess nodded. Rory stayed silent for a few seconds. Then she said, "Whatcha reading?"  
  
"A book." Jess said, not moving.  
  
Again, Rory was silent  
  
"Jess, come on." Rory said eventually, reaching across the counter, taking his book, using her finger as a bookmark, and closing it. "Don't do this."  
  
"Do what?" Jess said, annoyed.  
  
"Close yourself off." Rory said simply, bring the book down to her side.  
  
"Rory, I'm just sitting here. How can I possibly be-"  
  
"Jess. You know what you are doing. Don't pretend you don't." Rory said, raising her voice a little.  
  
"Rory, really. I'm not doing anything." Jess raised his to match hers.  
  
"Exactly! You aren't doing anything. There is NO effort from you." Rory said, her voice raising a notch higher. Attention started to become drawn to them.  
  
Jess didn't say anything. Instead he turned around and took plates of food from Caesar. Walking around the counter, Jess took the food to an older couple sitting in the corner.  
  
He started for the storage room but Rory grabbed his forearm, successfully stopping him. Neither could ignore the tingles that both parties received. "Jess. Talk to me. What's going on?" Rory was almost whispering now.  
  
"Rory, just drop it. It's nothing. Let it go." He paused. "Let me go." She did, immediately, as if she had been burned.  
  
"Don't do this again. Don't pull away just when things start to get good again." Rory looked up him, obviously angry, but trying to get through to him. "Please." She said.  
  
"I don't know what is going on with you today. Everything is ju-" Jess didn't get to finish.  
  
"Stop it!" Rory yelled, everyone in the diner looked to her and Jess, eyes shifting from one to the other. Jess and Rory were staring each other hard in the face, only about a foot apart, neither willing to break the gaze. Before Rory even realized it, she was screaming at Jess. Not just words, but cold, icy words that were right to point, so much that it almost hurt just to listen to them.  
  
"YOU'RE JUST SCARED. SCARED OF ME, AND THE WAY I MAKE YOU FEEL! I MAKE YOU VULNERABLE. YOU HATE TO BE VULNERABLE!  
  
"Rory." Jess began, but again, Rory cut him off.  
  
"NO. YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T GET IT." Rory paused. "WELL, HERE YOU GO. I HATE TO BE VULNERABLE TOO. BUT HERE I AM, SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS, IN THE MIDDLE OF A CROWDED DINER. I HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU JESS. DEEP FEELINGS. AND THAT ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIES ME!" Rory voice seemed to ring through the silent diner. No one moved, no one spoke, no one dared.  
  
All eyes, included Jess' were on Rory Gilmore. Standing in the middle of the diner, Rory Gilmore had completely opened herself up. Tears, having gathered in her eyes during her ranting, now threatened to spill over onto her soft cheeks. Still not having broken eye contact with Jess, Rory quietly said, "I don't need you Jess." Rory turned from Jess; obviously expecting that not only was the confrontation over, but the entire relationship.  
  
Rory walked out of the diner his book still in her hand, but now forgotten. It still remained deathly silent. Seconds passed by. Then Jess blinked, absorbing everything Rory had said. Looking out the door, she hadn't bothered to shut, Jess looked at Rory's figure, leaving. Then he made his decision.  
  
But he didn't go after her.  
  
Walking slowly over to the door, he grabbed the knob, and quietly closed the door. Pausing for a moment, he let his head lean against the windowpane. Eventually he went behind the counter and picked a rag, wiping down the counter.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to go after her?" Babbette called from her seat across the counter.  
  
"No. She obviously wants to be alone." Jess said.  
  
No one else said anything else to Jess as they started to talk amongst themselves again. Yet, within two minutes, Loralai was at the counter staring at him.  
  
"My daughter likes you." She said.  
  
Guilt ridding over him again, Jess said, "I know."  
  
"She just humiliated herself in front of a crowd of people..for you." Loralai continued.  
  
"I know." He again replied.  
  
"She picked a fight with you." Loralai went on, "But she thought you were closing yourself off. She didn't want to lose you."  
  
"Loralai, I know." Jess finally met her eyes.  
  
"I am just telling you what she couldn't say." She shoved three dollars at him, and left the diner.  
  
TBC  
  
Nevaeh's Paradise  
  
P.S. Reviews are always welcome, emails too. Tell me what you want to happen with this story. Sorry about the really, REALLY short chapter, I am cleaning off my computer. I had to just post what I had, so I PROMISE I will update with a better, long chapter. 


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